“I think it’s about time I gave up on this job search.” Sophie lamented to her mother over the phone, sounding all defeated.

It had taken her over a year to plan her relocation and she had saved up all of her earnings looking forward to her new life in Canada. It had now been 6 months since she arrived in Canada. Most of her savings had burned out as she had to pay her monthly house rent and feed, among other necessary expenses and bills.

What was keeping Sophie inspired all along was her wild imaginations of being fully settled in her new home but with the way things were going lately, she was beginning to lose all hopes.

“Put yourself together.” Her mum replied over the phone.

You could sense her mother’s love for her child. She recalled the many times Sophie raved about moving countries.

“Remember this was what you wanted more than everything. It’ll only take some time and you’ll be settled.” She said, trying so hard to cheer Sophie up.

Sophie was adventurous and loved to challenge herself. At age 27, she had done well for herself. Or at least that’s how the society loves to put it. If you were measuring her achievements based on ‘societal standards’, Sophie was on the right track.

She had a Bachelors of Arts, had successfully completed a Masters program and graduated with a distinction. She had gotten a few years of experience in her country of origin before deciding to relocate solely for the purpose of ‘experiencing life in a different culture’.

But after 6 months spent job hunting in a foreign country, it almost seemed too much for a new immigrant with no family in the new country to bear all alone.

“Mum, I’m getting broke by the minute.” Sophia said, holding back tears. “Rejection emails are received almost at all hours and it feels like all my work and effort is in vain.” She continued.

“I know how you feel, I hate job hunting myself. It can be such a pain. Thankfully, I’m way past that stage in my life.” Her mother replied. “…but it’s all part of the experience you craved, so you have to chin up and continue this journey. Don’t give up!” She concluded her statement.

“I know, but it’s just hard. Thanks for speaking with me, really appreciate it. Sometimes I feel so lonely.”

“I’m always here to listen. Try to go out more often, I’m sure you’ll be able to make friends that way.” Her mother responded while ending the phone call.

Why is this checklist important?

It will be useful because your resume is the first step to getting a job in a new country. After receiving several questions concerning job search in a foreign country, I came to realize that many immigrants weren’t even receiving initial phone calls to begin with.

It then occurred to me that there might have been an issue with their resumes. Even as someone in the HR industry, I struggled with resume building at the initial stage of my career but eventually recognized a few hacks to impress a recruiter.

I’ve decided to share these tips with you as that’s what this platform is all about: sharing!

What is included in this checklist

Below, you’ll find a brief summary of what’s included in this comprehensive resume checklist.

Checkboxes guiding you through the various stages of working on your resume

Explicit explanation of the reasoning behind each stage of your resume building

Tips for building a good resume and resume section sample/ template, etc.

Who is this checklist for?

The comprehensive resume checklist for the immigrant worker is ideally for a new immigrant with no work experience or education in their new country. However, this checklist can be used by any immigrant who is looking to change jobs and needs to improve their resume to enable them to start receiving phone calls from recruiters ASAP.

Since I currently reside in Canada, I’ve tailored this resume for Canadian residents as I love to share information based on my experience and research. However, I have no doubt that other immigrants in several parts of the world will find it useful as I’ve done some extensive study on this piece.

Do I have to pay for this checklist?

It’s absolutely free!

Yes, you read that right. You don’t have to pay a dime. Simply visit the resources page and download this wonderful information for free. If you find it useful (which I know you will), please let me know.

Feedback helps keep my creative juice alive and I get to know what to improve on. Send an email to [email protected].

Furthermore, if you are a new immigrant with no experience or education in your new country, it might take a little while to get a job although there are exceptions.

*Please note that this story and its characters are fictitious.

About me

Ezinne Allen-Obayagbona, fondly called 'Zinny' is the Founder and Lead Copywriter for Zinny Factor. She is an ardent reader and writer with several years of experience. Her articles help readers live a well-rounded life as a worker (whether as an employee, entrepreneur or both, aka side hustler)!
She is also a Wedding Photographer/ Videographer on Allen Oba Studios (www.obaallen.com) and is the Lead Copywriter for the photography blog as well as contributes articles to a number of other publishing platforms.